This is a great place to check out if you want to learn how to meditate, or if you just want to deepen your practice in a small group setting. Everyone is very kind, friendly, and approachable. They offer free sitting meditation practice and instruction on Wednesdays and Sundays, and classes and programs (usually for a fee). If you're at all interested in meditation, and are in the area, a visit here would be well worth your time.
I have attended various Shambhala group meditation practices over the last ~7 years, most of which have been at other centers on the East Coast. However, when I moved to California a few years ago this became my closest meditation center (even though I lived more than 1 hour from Costa Mesa). I have typically attended the open sitting on Sundays and have done a Qi Gong program here as well.
The group on Sundays varies in size from 15-25 people, and includes beginners and some people who have been meditating for decades. The atmosphere in the meditation hall is very beautiful, adorned with calligraphy, flower arrangements, colorful banners, and purple meditation cushions that are provided for everyone. However, unlike some of the more formal contexts you may envision, it is not uncommon here for people to get up to use the restroom, get a drink of coffee or water, etc. while others continue meditating (i.e. there is no expectation that you sit still like a statue for 20 minutes).
The basic practices taught here include sitting meditation as well as walking meditation, which are done in alternation. Shambhala applies meditation practices rooted in Tibetan Buddhism many thousands of years old, but adapted to a western audience. The fact that these practices are ancient and have been transmitted through a long lineage of experienced meditators really gave me a great feeling of security and stability when I first began meditating. It's easy to find lots of "how to meditate" articles/videos online, but they don't provide a substitute for the actual experience of meditation as a spiritual path, rooted within a community following an ancient tradition.
Sunday morning meditation also includes a contemplation read aloud and a discussion circle where people share reflections on the contemplation, meditation practice, or anything else they want to share. If you prefer to, you can "pass" and not say anything and instead just listen to the discussion.
Most of all, I appreciate that this center exists because it provides a safe space to work with my own mind, and be around others who are doing the same. This is a place where I feel no sense of judgement, pressure to conform, or obligation to accept or reject any particular belief, religious or otherwise. In fact, the meditation practices taught here are secular and are designed to help you be a better human and are intended not to conflict with other religious or faith systems.
If meditation is something that you find useful and helpful, this can also be the entry point to for many further profound explorations into your mind and heart. Over the years I've done several Shambhala meditation programs, including a few week-long meditation retreats at Karme Choling in rural Vermont. I've done a fair bit of spiritual seeking, and this path has been and continues to deepen and remains the one that resonates the most for me through the years. read more
